Re: grasses

How hardy is Hachenchloa (sp?)?. Great shade plant grass..

Gerry

[According to John Greenlee's Encyclopedia of Grasses, Hakonechloa macra
'Aureola' [Hakone grass, the gold variegated form] is not as vigorous as the
species, which is hardy in zones 7 to 9.

<<Can anyone help me with suggestions for grasses that can be successfully
grown in light shade (or heavy shade) in my zone 4 garden? Has anyone had
success with any of the grasses that are listed as zone 5?>>  Hank Zumach

Here, we get full sun in the grass garden [zone 5b] for only 3 hours a day,
filtered sun for about 4 hours. Festuca ovina 'Glauca' does very well, but
does not flower.

The sedges do very well. Carex morrowii 'Variegata' [according to John
Greenlee, hardy in zones 5 to 9] is just gorgeous here -- thriving -- forming
large clumps! Carex nigra [hardy 4 - 8] does very well.  Carex stricta
'Bowles Golden' also does well, although the C. morrowii has far more
structure and beauty. (I just happened to be discovered the C. morrowii
later.) All of these Carex flower here.

I have some dead sedges (brown) in color. The Carex buchananni has not become
in the least invasive. [Perhaps it's because it may not like our zone 5b,
although it was sold as a zone 5 plant. Dan Hinkley lists it as a zone 7
grass]. Another dead sedge [no name in the pots : - (  ] is one of my
favorites. The leaves are about 12 to 16 inches long, have a weeping habit,
the flower spikes are very long -- perhaps 18 to 20 inches, and lie on the
ground. The seeds have a 2 year dormancy. But the plants are invasive and the
seeds are dispersed outside of the garden, and I'm finding it a job to
control.  I do enjoy the swath of brown through the grass garden, though.
It's a lovely contrast, and I can tolerate the invasiveness in order to have
the plant.

I am growing Miscanthus sinensis 'Zebrinus'. It grows, the clumps have gotten
larger, but obviously, it would prefer more sun. It's hardy in zones 4 to 9.
There are others we grow with similar luck: Miscanthus sinensis 'Morning
Light' and a Pennisetum cultivar I've forgotten the name of that is hardy in
zone 5 [a fountain grass].

I've found that most grasses are listed as zone 5 and above. Sometimes, with
winter protection, or a special microclimate as we have here on the shore of
Lake Michigan, one can push the zone by one. [In town in Traverse City, it's
zone 4.]

The question is: Are we to have a grass garden or not? We don't cut trees to
provide light for gardens. So we have a less than satisfactory grass garden,
but we love it.  There are tradeoffs for everything.



Jeanne Hannah
Traverse City, MI 49686
Zone 5b

Here, the question is: Do you want a grass garden or not
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